How to Become an Olympic Gymnast

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Watching the Olympics can be inspiring and you might be thinking, “What would it take for my child to become an Olympic gymnast?” or, “I want to become an Olympic gymnast — what do I do?”.

While it’s extremely rare and difficult to become an Olympic gymnast — and I certainly can’t promise that — here are some “must-dos” for becoming a top gymnast. This same logic applies if your goal is a college gymnastics scholarship. In order to become a successful gymnast and maybe even an Olympic gymnast, you need to start young, you must train many hours a week in a gym with the right tools for you to succeed and you must master the basics.

Start Young

Olympic gymnasts are young and they start hard-core training at a young age. The minimum age that a gymnast can compete in international competitions is 16. This rule is one of the most debated rules in the sport of gymnastics. Smaller, younger girls tend to be better at the difficult skills required at high levels. However, without the minimum age rule there is some concern about the health and well-being of gymnasts. At the 2008 Olympics, there was some controversy about whether one of the gymnasts on the Chinese gymnastics team was old enough to compete. There was speculation that she was only 13, but nothing ever came of this investigation. Gymnasts peaking at a young age is evidenced by the fact that 4 of the 5 girls on the 2012 US Olympic gymnastics team were 16 (the minimum age) and Aly Raisman was the oldest at 18 years of age. This simply proves that starting gymnastics at a young age is one of the most important factors in being successful at a high level. In order to be training at such a high level at 16 — girls need to start young.

Train Many Hours a Week

In the book Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell, he studies the factors that lead to very high levels of success. (Side Note: This is one of the most interesting, motivating books I’ve ever read and I definitely recommend it.) He studied how the Beatles became one of the most successful bands ever and how Bill Gates was able to start one of the most innovative companies in the world. He deduces that both of these successes (plus many others he studies throughout the book) are due to the 10,000 hour rule. He concludes that you must practice a task for 10,000 hours in order to become an expert. The Beatles performed over 1,200 times in Germany between 1960 and 1964, amassing over 10,000 hours of live playing time. When they returned to England — they were “experts” and sounded better than anyone else. Gladwell credits Bill Gates’ success to the fact that he was able to get access to a computer as a kid (which was very uncommon at the time) and spent over 10,000 hours programming on it.

I also know from personal experience the value of practicing more than anyone else. My dad was a phenomenal runner in high-school, college and afterwards for a short time before he got injured. He still holds both high-school and college records that have held for more than 30 years! When he was in high-school, he ran twice a day every day of the year. He would wake up in the morning and go for a run before school, and then after school go to track practice. No one else was running that much — and he contributes his success to the fact that he was working out harder than anyone else.

Also, each of the 2012 US Olympic gymnasts trained 30+ hours a week. While I’m sure they hadn’t done that since the time they started out, that’s still a lot of hours in the gym. Let’s think this through: Imagine you start gymnastics at 4 or 5 and for those two years you are in the gym 2 hours a week for the year — that’s about 100 hours. Then ages 6-8, you work out 10 hours a week, and in those three years you amass 1,500 hours for a total of 1,600. Ages 9-13, you work out 20 hours a week getting you to a total of 6,600 hours. And 14-16, you work out 35 hours a week getting you over the 10,000 hour mark. (In my math, I gave you 2 weeks vacation.) That’s a lot of hours in the gym — but that would give you the best shot at becoming an “expert” in gymnastics. Your dedication to training is going to be one of the key factors that separates you from other gymnasts, and takes your gymnastics to the next level.

Gymnastics Equipment at Olympic Trials 2012

Train at a Gym that has the Coaches and Equipment You Need to Excel

Another factor that goes into becoming an elite gymnast is training at a gym that has the coaches and equipment you need to learn. In the beginning years, this isn’t very important, but as you advance to higher gymnastics levels this becomes essential. My sister (a level 9 gymnast when she went to college) wrote an excerpt for my Parent’s Guide to Gymnastics Ebook on this subject. Basically, she said that there was a big difference between the gym she trained at as a level 9 gymnast and the gym she practiced at on her college club team. The second gym didn’t have the safety belts and harnesses needed to learn high level skills, or things like a pit bar, or enough room to learn dismounts off the tumble tramp. She couldn’t imagine learning big skills at the second gym that she had the opportunity to learn at her previous gym. You also need to make sure you have a qualified coach to teach higher level skills. I talk more about these two factors (equipment and coaching) in tips for picking a gymnastics gym.

Master the Basics

The Olympic gymnastics scoring system rewards both excellence in execution and difficulty. Gabby Douglas’s form, height and execution of her skills is amazing and was incredible at both the Olympic Trials and the Olympics. I remember leaning over to my mom at the Olympic Trials and telling her that Gabby was the one to beat after seeing her warm-up. Her execution of skills was stunning due to her height and body position. This comes from mastering the basics and the basic “shapes” (split and handstand). The gymnasts who really stand out from the the rest of the crowd at competitions (and I say this as a gymnastics judge) are the ones who perform basic gymnastics skills exceptionally and have impeccable body form and dynamics. Here are 9 basic gymnastics skills you should master.

Set Goals

In order to maximize the time you have in the gym, and make your gymnastics training intentional, it’s important to set goals. If your goal is to get to the Olympics or to earn a college scholarship that will be your long-term goal. What are all the steps that need to happen in order for you to reach that goal? All of these little steps are the short-term goals you should be setting for yourself. I talk more about the types of goals you should be setting in The Mental Workout All Gymnasts Should be Doing and Other Strategies for Becoming the Best Gymnast You Can Be.

Another way to make sure that you are setting little goals for yourself is to list out the skills you want to learn during the summer when you aren’t competing, or during the next year. You can make your own skill progression charts, or check out GymnasticsHQ’s Skill Progression charts here.

Try Out for TOPS

TOPs (Talent Opportunity Program), from the USA Gymnastics Website, is a “talent search and educational program for female gymnasts age 7-10 and their coaches.” It’s a program that tries to find gymnasts with a “special” talent for gymnastics with the goal of having a strong national team. Gymnasts in the TOPS program learn skills at a faster pace than the typical JO Program (gymnastics levels 1-10).

All five members of the Fierce Five, the 2012 Gold Medal Winning US Olympic Team, competed in the TOPS program. Excelling in the TOPS program is maybe the best way to become a gymnast who has a shot at being on the Olympic team.

Master Your Mental Workout

Since there are only so many hours per week that you can be in the gym training, one way to really up your gymnastics game is to master a mental workout. By practicing some of the mental techniques I mention in the mental workout article linked above, like visualization, self-talk and watching a personal highlight reel, you will be able to “practice gymnastics” without actually being in the gym.

Every minute of visualization is worth seven minutes of physical practice.

If every minute of visualization is really worth seven minutes of practice, by mastering a mental workout you will have a huge advantage over gymnasts who don’t do this visualization practice.

While I am definitely not promising anyone an Olympic career, I do think that starting young, training many hours a week and competing in TOPS are things that members of the gymnastics Olympic team have done. They have also mastered the basics and train with great coaches in gyms with the right equipment. I’m sure they also set goals and do a mental workout.

I think if your dream is to be an Olympic gymnast, these can be your guidelines.

Every gymnast, even Olympic gymnasts, make mistakes. It is part of the learning process. Don’t worry if you make a mistake, it is a part of life. With lots of practice, you can perform your skills perfectly.

It’s never to late to start beside like 14.
I suggest being a cheerleader or something ,already to have flexibility Or a dancer. If not stretch every day and put down you phone and workout out your legs, arms, and abs. If you want to go to the Olympics or college or become an elite you have to work for it, because I am a 13 year old level 4 gymnast and I don’t give 110% in the gym that won’t happen by 2020. I’d have To wait till 2024.

I’m 13 and you just got to set goals. One of my goals is to master level 9 in two years, and right now I’m in level 3. I believe that I can make it to the 2020 olympics you just have to be positive and believe. Because I believe in you too!

I’m 9 years old and i am on level 3 in gymnastics!! You might have a chance of being in the Olympics??? I REALLY REALLY want to be in the OLYMPICS to!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Gabby Douglas do i have a chance of being in the Olympics?????? And Gabby Douglas i am your biggest fan!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you for helping me follow my dreams!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

im 11 too i started when i was 10 and still isn't that good my dream since i started was to be an Olympian sooooooo much. but even if it sounds stupid those people who say you can't prove them wrong! so isay if you want too the answer is yes!January 16, 2020, 9:36 pm

These are the perfect steps to become an Olympic gold medalist, just like Gabrielle Douglas. I want to be just like her when i grow up. Thank you for such wonderful and brilliant advice. i will definetly use it!! 🙂

These are the perfect steps to become an Olympic gold medalist, just like Gabrielle Douglas. I want to be just like her when i grow up. Thank you for such wonderful and brilliant advice. i will definitely use it!! 🙂

hi
my name is Faith am 19 years old but I’ve been doing gymnastics over 10 till now,but I was doing it for my school and I was doing it at home,so all I wanted is to be one of gymnast players,can you please tell me where should I go

Hi I just recently switched gyms I started when I was 7 and now Im 11 the last gym I was at was JOGA and the one Im at now is USAG only Im not on USAG Im on USAIGC only I want to be on USAG because thats how you get the the Olympics right Im a pretty good gymnast I work real hard any tips on how to get onto USAG or ideas or anything I would really reallly really appreciate it please please please someone respond Thank you!

If I ask to do USAG, do you think they would say yes? Also, if I did USAG, what level would I be on? here are the skils I have:
Vault: Just a front handspring over the table. It a pretty good one.

Bars: kip, back hip circle, back hip circle underswing-or-whatever-its-called, sole circle, pull-over, long kip, long hang pullover, squat-on, and I almost have a flyaway dismount by myself working on it!

Is it okay if you started gymnastics at 16 I’m still learning and i’m part of special Olympics as an athlete and I dream of one day transferring to the USA gymnastics program. There’s very little chance i’d be a pro but a girl can dream but I don’t really talk about dreams since I prefer just to practice for gymnastics do homework community service flute etc. and do school clubs and stuff like that so I have a hectic schedule but I certainly make time for working out at the gym and gymnastics practice and competitions. So I do so much I cannot believe it but I desire to do gymnastics as well as I can eventually competitive but i’m only a level 2 i’m very talented at it I was a level 1 although i’m not talented compared to normal gymnasts since I have modifications so I hope that eventually i’ll be able to be a competive normal gymnast without mods and eventually be in USA instead of special Olympics as athlete so I basically practiced handstands early with a couch propping my core since its weak hopefully i’ll be able to end up doing better. And Gabby douglas you really inspire me although I have trouble downloading your movie i’d probably watch it during next Christmas break when its off or during the summer idk. But i’ll probably do more gymnastic practices during the summer or maybe not this summer but certainly during other summers. I just do not do tons of hours as you do but that’s because i’m only a level 2 I’m seventeen years old was a level 1 at sixteen but technically since i’m really healthy and have a lot of life to live and have basically sup sr. yr in high school, community college and university hopefully if I transfer for my future hopefully it works or just university idk. and certainly have my jr. yr right now and my sr. yr left so hopefully um I have enough time besides a lot of the possible alternates for rio for Russia including that 40 yr old started at sixteen so yeah um maybe there’s a chance. But USA in those games they started young so maybe not it i’m unsure if it really matters um because, I love gymnastics so much but I also love a ton of other stuff as well. So yeah but I would hope that this would be when I’m older but I’m afraid i’d be too old for it that 40 yr old only started at 40 due too many injuries and i’m not reckless like that I use proper form unless I have one of my typical beginners accidents which usually mom’s there watching me but when i’m older that won’t happen and that’s why she’s not doing that anymore hopefully I don’t injure myself on harder moves but I feel it’ll be worth it as long as i’m not crippled as the Russian gymnast. Yeah Good luck Gabby hopefully you become a coach for the Olympics or a judge.

BTW i’m not injured yet but I may on harder levels i’m just worried since I almost did when doing a pullover and my mom said she won’t catch me again since I need to be on my own and luckily I’ve not and am doing okay at pullovers

Hi,
I live in Iowa. My 9 year old daughter is in her 4th year in gymnastics. She was just bumped to the highest class available here, because of her passion and how quickly she learns. She wants More and More. But here she is limited. What can I do to help her achieve her dreams! Thank you!

hi gabby I’m quite a big fan and my dream is to become a gymnast and go to the olympics what age do you need to start gymnastics to become an olympic gymnast i am a level eight gymnast I’m sophie by the way and I’m nine

Hi, I’m 10 and just moved to xcel gold. I really want to be an elite gymnast or at least get a college scholarship for gymnastics. Do you think I have a chance? By the way Gabby your are my idol and I want to be just like you!!!

I am 13 and I am a level 6 gymnast I always see like 6 year old doing the things that I do so that lowers the confidence that I have in going to college gymnastics so my question is… can I make it there is 5 years?

Hi,
My daughter is 10 and she won the first place at our local gymnastic club,but I’m not satisfied with her level of gymnastics,as I know many other girls are much higher at this age,so I’m interested to find a good gymnastic club for her,where they provide good teachers and equipment,where children train to become champions.
We live in South East London and we’d like you to recommend us a good gym for our daughter.
Thank you

Hi I’m elaina and I’m 10 years old and when I’m on my local gymnastics team and on my third meet on beam I fell of during my back walk over and when I was done I got a 9.00 but I was still disappointed in myself do you have any tips to feel better after a gymnastics mistake?

My daughter has trained since she was 6yrs old and is now a silver at 12, finally after all the talks at all the different gyms , the new gym we are with now flat out told me my daughter would never see the Olympics because she is to old?? Never once did anyone else say this ?? I feel lied to , ripped off, my child’s dream squashed. Devistated why would you build a child’s dream , steal a homeless families money??? Why would you not keep it real from day one entering at 6yrs old? Money hungry gyms hurting children

You said “steal a homeless families money”. If ur homeless how can u have money to pay for gymnastics, its an expensive sport.
Also, i agree ur daughter is probably too old, its not being “lied to” or “ripped off”, they are just being honest.

im 11 too i started when i was 10 and still isn't that good my dream since i started was to be an Olympian sooooooo much. but even if it sounds stupid those people who say you can't prove them wrong! so isay if you want too the answer is yes!January 16, 2020, 9:36 pm

im 11 too i started when i was 10 and still isn't that good my dream since i started was to be an Olympian sooooooo much. but even if it sounds stupid those people who say you can't prove them wrong! so isay if you want too the answer is yes!January 16, 2020, 9:38 pm

im 11 too i started when i was 10 and still isn't that good my dream since i started was to be an Olympian sooooooo much. but even if it sounds stupid those people who say you can't prove them wrong! so isay if you want too the answer is yes!January 16, 2020, 9:38 pm